Earlier this year, your Catholic Herald saluted our priest jubilarians who are marking anniversaries in the priesthood. The information comes from a biographical form submitted by the priests in response to an inquiry from your Catholic Herald. Information regarding the jubilees of the two priests below arrived after we published the initial listing. Congratulations to all the jubilarians and thank you for your service.
Fr. Daniel J. Sherman65 years
Class of 1946
Maryknoll Fr. Daniel J. Sherman
Born in Milwaukee to the late John Joseph and late Julia Kosiedowski Sherman, Fr. Sherman has one sister, Joyce, of Munich, Germany; and had two brothers, the late Erwin and late Raymond Sherman of Milwaukee. He attended Milwaukee public school and then graduated from St. Catherine Grammar School in 1933, and Messmer High School, Milwaukee, in 1937. Fr. Sherman entered Maryknoll in 1938, attending Junior Seminary in Clark’s Summit, Pa., 1938-1942, and Maryknoll Seminary in Ossining, N.Y., 1943-1947. He also studied at Pius X School of Liturgical Music at Manhattanville College, New York City. Fr. Sherman was ordained at Maryknoll in Ossining, N.Y, on June 15, 1947.
After ordination, Fr. Sherman was assigned to South China where he studied the Cantonese language for a year and taught English, Latin and music at Kongmoon Junior Seminary, Kongmoon, South China. He also served as spiritual director at Ngaimoon Leprosarium, 1948-1951.
In 1949, Communist Chinese troops took over the city, harassing and intimidating Fr. Sherman and the other four priests and two sisters at the mission for 18 months. They were put on trial as spies for the American government, convicted and sentenced to be deported before being released in 1951, and crossing the border into Hong Kong, where Fr. Sherman spent a year teaching at St. John’s English School.
“The most memorable period of my mission career was the time my companion missioners and I spent under harassment and persecution by the Chinese Communists until we were finally expelled from China. I felt divine protection and encouragement during that period of trial,” he said at the time of his 60th jubilee in 2007.
Fr. Sherman moved to Japan in 1952, serving 30 years as pastor at parishes in Kyoto, Nagahama, Hikone, Shiga-Ken and Mie-ken; and three years as superior of the Maryknoll Center in Kyoto.
His musical background, pastoral and academic teaching duties allowed Fr. Sherman to teach Gregorian chant and other liturgical music to seminarians and groups of sisters in China and Japan.
Fr. Sherman returned to the Milwaukee Archdiocese in 1976, serving at Old St. Mary Parish and volunteering for the St. Vincent de Paul Society. He was assigned to Maryknoll Society’s Special Unit in 1989. He continued his ministry after retiring in 2001 at Old St. Mary Parish and Aquinas Academy in Menomonee Falls, also celebrating Latin Masses at Mary, Help of Christians Parish. Fr. Sherman served for two summers at the Maryknoll House of Prayer in Lourdes, France, before moving to St. Teresa, Maryknoll’s Mission in Ossining, N.Y.
Fr. Charles VerhalenFr. Charles Verhalen
Born in Milwaukee to the late Andrew and late Amanda Rose Verhalen, Fr. Charles Verhalen has two brothers, James Verhalen of Denville, N.J., and Philip Verhalen of Tacoma, Wash.; and one sister, Rosemary Cummings of Appleton. He attended grade school at St. Sebastian and St. Gerard, Milwaukee, Pio Nono High School, Milwaukee, before attending Salvatorian Seminary, St. Nazianz. Fr. Verhalen continued his education at Saint Francis de Sales Minor and Major Seminary, St. Francis, and was ordained June 7, 1947 at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Milwaukee.
Fr. Verhalen began his priestly ministry as assistant pastor at St. Mark Parish, Kenosha, 1947, followed by assignments as assistant pastor, St. Catherine Parish, Milwaukee, 1961; pastor, Holy Cross Parish, Holy Cross, 1968; pastor, Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Parish, Franklin, 1970; pastor, St. James Parish, Menomonee Falls, 1972; pro-synodal judge, Matrimonial Tribunal, Milwaukee Archdiocese, 1974; pastor, St. Mary Parish, Mayville, 1981; administrator, St. Theresa Parish, Theresa, 1993 until he retired in July 1997 and moved to Meyer Hall on the grounds of Saint Francis Seminary, St. Francis.
He was also part-time chaplain for the School Sisters of St. Francis until 2004, and helped out at parishes including St. Monica in Whitefish Bay. In 2005, Fr. Verhalen moved to St. Camillus, Milwaukee, where he currently resides. In 2007, he received the Vatican II Award for Distinguished Service in his mentoring program for seminarians of the Sacred Heart School of Theology, Franklin.
When Rosemary asked her brother what he liked most about being a priest, Fr. Verhalen said, “Being able to travel to help others at any time.” Would he do it all over again? “Yes, because of the goodness of helping others,” he said.
